I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 336: Louis XVI's Reward

Leopold II continued, "According to the latest reports from the Southern Netherlands, General Leo, with the assistance of the French, has launched a counterattack on Liège. Given the current low morale of Blücher's troops, General Leo is likely to achieve significant success."

Joseph II nodded in satisfaction. "Draft a commendation order for Franz Sigismund Leo, and also allocate an additional 4,000 troops to reinforce him. Austria might be seeing the rise of a new military genius."

Austria's military resources were stretched thin at the moment, so dispatching that many troops was a clear sign of the Emperor's approval of Leo's performance.

As they spoke, Count Kaunitz, the State Chancellor, hurriedly knocked and entered, holding a document. Seeing the serious expression on his face, Leopold II asked in a stern tone, "Has something happened in Silesia?"

"No, Your Majesty. The situation in Silesia remains at a stalemate," Kaunitz said as he handed over the document. "The international situation, however, has changed. Hanover is increasing its forces by 30,000, and there are reports of further reinforcements to come."

Leopold II's heart tightened at this news. Hanover had already sent over 10,000 troops to Silesia, and with this additional 30,000, they were nearly committing their entire military. If they continued to increase their forces, it would require mass conscription, which would undoubtedly impact domestic farming and trade.

For Hanover to be making such a significant commitment could only mean one thing—Britain had decided to fully back Prussia.

Kaunitz added, "The only silver lining is that our spies in Hanover confirm that only 10,000 of these troops are being sent to Silesia. The rest will be deployed to the Southern Netherlands. Prussia is also preparing to allocate 10,000 soldiers to reinforce Blücher."

After meeting with the Hanoverian envoy, Wilhelm II had discussed the matter with Prince Heinrich and decided to send additional troops to the Southern Netherlands. If they couldn't persuade the British, they might as well cooperate with them to quickly eliminate Austrian and French forces in the Low Countries. This would also prevent France and Austria from reclaiming the Southern Netherlands after their recent victory.

Their plan was to combine 20,000 Hanoverian troops with Blücher's 14,000, along with a few thousand from the Southern Netherlands army. If they added another 10,000 to Blücher's forces, they would have nearly 50,000 troops in the Southern Netherlands.

In contrast, the combined Franco-Austrian forces in the region barely numbered 25,000. With such a significant advantage in numbers, they believed they could crush the Franco-Austrian forces in Luxembourg within a month, after which the 50,000 strong Hanseatic-Prussian army could head to Silesia to secure a decisive victory.

Joseph II struggled to sit up straight against his pillow, his voice hoarse as he said, "Thankfully, the British are very concerned about France expanding its influence in the Southern Netherlands..."

Leopold II added, "Perhaps you could reward General Leo even more. His victory has significantly reduced the pressure on us in Silesia."

Joseph II nodded slightly. "We should deploy more troops to support General Leo. If France ends up clashing with Hanover, they will likely send reinforcements. This way, the Southern Netherlands will draw significant Prussian forces."

Leopold II wholeheartedly agreed. "And we can seize the opportunity to muster our national forces and achieve a decisive victory in Silesia!"

...

On the streets of Paris, countless citizens spontaneously took to the streets to celebrate the Royal Guard's great victory in Luxembourg.

Since the defeat in the Seven Years' War, the French had not experienced such a victory against a European power in a long time. The American Revolutionary War, after all, was fought mainly by "volunteers," and the American Continental Army played the leading role. The French public didn't pay much attention to it.

But this time, it was the French regular army that had defeated the Prussian forces despite being outnumbered. This made the French feel as if the days of the Sun King had returned.

It's important to remember that at this time, the French were still a highly martial people, unlike later times when they would become known for "waving white flags." A victory in battle could make them forget their worries about where their next meal would come from. In this regard, only the Russians could rival them.

This was also why Napoleon was able to seize power so easily and, even after being exiled, regain control and win the support of the entire nation—he could win battles!

Of course, Joseph's efforts to guide public opinion through the media also played a role. Recently, all the major newspapers had been filled with stories of the Battle of Luxembourg, from the Prince personally leading the troops to the heroic performances of various officers and soldiers. This created such a buzz that people completely overlooked the ongoing grain shortage still looming over France.

By noon, the jubilant crowds had reached the vicinity of Versailles, turning the commercial streets of Versailles into a frenzy of sales.

This time, Queen Marie Antoinette did not complain about her son risking his life on the battlefield—she was starting to get used to it. After all, as Archbishop Brienne assured her, the Prince was only "encouraging the troops" from a safe distance of several kilometers away and was never in any real danger.

Hearing the increasing noise from the square, she signaled to her maid, Countess de Bonneval, "Please open the windows."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The large arched windows were opened, and the cheers from outside immediately filled Marie Antoinette's ears.

"Long live the Prince!"

"The Son of Heaven has brought us victory!"

"Long live the King! May God protect France!"

"March to the Southern Netherlands! Reclaim Wallonia!"

"The Royal Guard is invincible! Glory to you all!"

A look of delight spread across Marie Antoinette's face. Since her arrival in France, she had never seen such high public support for the royal family. And this was all thanks to the victory her son had achieved.

She quickly gave orders to her maid, "Instruct the guards to open the gates to the square and let the people in to celebrate. Oh, and prepare some food for them. And a band—there must be music and dancing at a time like this."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The cheers of tens of thousands soon filled the entire Palace of Versailles. Standing by the window, Marie Antoinette linked arms with Louis XVI, who had come over after hearing the commotion, and asked loudly, "Should we give Joseph some kind of reward?"

Louis XVI also raised his voice to be heard over the noise from the square, "Yes! But what do you think would be appropriate?"

"I think a beautiful and kind wife would be fitting..."

"Then you'd be rewarding the lucky princess, not him." Louis XVI laughed, then thought for a moment and said loudly, "How about we build a statue in the Versailles Square to honor our Son of Heaven?"

...

While the Hanoverian-Prussian coalition was heading to Luxembourg, far away in southern India, Tipu Sultan, the leader of Mysore, was also inspecting his army. It was a formidable force of 60,000 men, equipped with Charleville or Brown Bess flintlock muskets and marching in neat European-style formations.

(End of Chapter)

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